Sam Tompkins About his Debut Album: “Insecurity to me is a Power in Itself.” 

Sam Tompkins just dropped a heartbreakingly beautiful album, that delves into topics like grief, mental health issues, body dysmorphia, anxiety, and more. On “hi, my name is insecure.” he bears his soul, sharing the pain and struggles that have shaped his life. Across 16 songs, your heart will be shattered and mended at the same time. “A problem shared is a problem halved,” says Tompkins, encapsulating the theme that brought this album to life. In an intimate and moving press conference, Sam opened up about the stories behind his songs, the critical importance of mental health awareness, and the rapid rise of his career. 

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Sam Tompkins’ musical journey began at home, where his mother played Michael Jackson, and his sister later introduced him to hip-hop. Inspired by Ed Sheeran, the young artist started busking, with music always surrounding him. These early experiences led to a life-changing moment when Sam received a call from Los Angeles—a record label wanted to sign him. Thrilled by the prospect of turning his passion into a career, Sam quit his job on the spot. 

This bold decision paid off. Sam Tompkins has since toured with The Kid Laroi, scored a viral hit with his cover of “Talking To The Moon”, formed a friendship with mentor Justin Bieber, and written songs for artists like Machine Gun Kelly. Once Sam realized his dream of becoming an artist was within reach, there was no turning back. 

Q&A

How has making this album impacted you? 

In the end of the movie “8 Mile” there is the rap battle. Eminem’s character had suffered with stage anxiety beforehand. And instead of letting his opponent beat him up with all the bad things he is and listing all these insults, he says them about himself first. So, after that his opponent can’t say anything about him. “hi, my name is insecure.” is me empowering myself and owning up to my insecurities. We all have them, and I realized how important it is to be vulnerable. When I own those anxieties and depression it is a step further to accepting myself. This album helped me to see that I am flawed, and so is everyone else. I learned that anyone who has to say something about somebody else is just projecting. 

What does insecurity mean to you and what does it mean to have your album titles as such? 

It feels empowering. Insecurity to me is a power in itself. Once we own up to all the things that make you feel a certain way we can start to move past them. We all feel insecurity whether we admit it or not. People who don’t admit to it usually are the most insecure and struggling the most with it. It’s just a pure human feeling. The song “Shape” by Victoria Canal sums it up beautifully. In the first verse she makes clear how one comment can impact you for a lifetime. It’s quite sad but on the other hand it shows how fragile we are as humans because we can all relate to this. 

As a mental health advocate how do you hope your fans connect with your deeper songs? 

With mental health there is this huge taboo, especially with young men. And I realised men don’t really have songwriters like Christina Aguilera with her song “Beautiful” for example. My song “See Me” came from a coaching session I had where we talked about my body dysmorphia. From my experience men find it hard to resonate with people who don’t look like you or resemble you in any way. So having someone like me represent them and break that stereotype hopefully helps them. At least it would have helped me when I was younger. 

What inspires you to make music and what message do you want to convey to your audience? 

The main thing I always say at all my shows is a problem shared is a problem halved. It is important to bring things out into the open and even if it’s just written down, when the universe has it you are not holding it in alone anymore. I want people who are suffering and feeling down to know that there is a first step. I am all about taking small steps and seeing them as little wins. Hopefully people feel comforted because that is why I listen to music, to feel comfort and to feel seen. 

What do you think your younger self would think about this moment? 

I often look at moments in my life which I’m proud of from the eyes of like my 16-year-old self. There was so much naivety in what I did which came from this overwhelming feeling of “I can do this”. So, when I look at these moments like being on stage with Justin Bieber or selling out shows and stuff like that I just think “Wow we’ve gone far”. It’s not necessarily so much about all the hard work I put in over the years. But it comes from this kid having a dream and wanting to do his best to achieve it. (…) If that younger me could look into my head right now they would know it will be okay. And that’s the kind of kid I want to connect with now. That’s what my music is for! 

Final Thoughts

I am stunned by the openness of Sam Tompkins and his dedication to helping others with his music. This album was three years in the making and Sam wrote around 250 songs. How did he choose the track list for the album? He took the songs that hurt the most and are the most uncomfortable to share as those connect with him the most. The thought of owning your insecurities and disarming other people from hurting you is truly inspiring. His mission to make people, especially young men, less afraid of speaking up about their mental health is encapsulated in this stunning debut album. His strength to turn pain into hope is channeled in each of his songs. The universal yet hard hitting lyrics make it possible to relate to the experiences he describes in your own way. Artists like Sam use music to make the world a better place by offering safe spaces for people who feel lost and alone.